Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Thank you. The meeting today is for a report on this area which we are preparing over the next two months. We will share the results with you. We are talking not just to banks but also to stakeholders and business users on all sides to see if there is a problem and where it is and to highlight any solutions. If we identify areas of concern that we think you can have a role in addressing, we will refer back to you and work on it. The objective is to provide a report to the various Ministers to try to secure actions there as well. We are conscious in our research that it is not just bank lending that we must examine but all access to finance for business.
I thank Mr. Boucher, Mr. McLoughlin and Mr. Farrell for their attendance. The discussion was very useful. I apologise for the time changes and for running over time. I appreciate your patience and your direct answers. At some stage you might refer back to us with the cost of credit. I will not go into it now, but it is an issue as well.
I welcome Mr. Jim Brown, chief executive officer, Ms Ellvena Graham, managing director for SMEs, and Mr. Andrew Blair, wholesale chief officer, of Ulster Bank to discuss access to finance for SMEs. My sincere apologies for starting this session a little late. The first session went a little over schedule. We have delayed you, so if you need to leave just say it and we can get your replies again.
Before hearing your presentation, I am required to give the following privilege warning. By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the joint committee. If they directed by it to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against a person or an entity either by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.
Today's meeting clashes with parliamentary questions on enterprise which are taking place in the Dáil at present, so some of the committee members will be coming in and leaving to attend those. I apologise for that. The spokespersons from Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin intend to return to the meeting as they wish to raise issues with you. I invite Mr. Brown to make his presentation to the committee on access to finance for SMEs.